Thursday, 30 July 2015

Lisa was the 2015 recipient of the International Creators Scholarship. The scholarship provides the opportunity for an emerging theatre artist to train in theatre creation on an international level with SITI Company. The Scholarship was created in partnership by Why Not Theatre and Theatre Ontario, and is sponsored by SDA Enterprises with matching funds from artsVest Toronto.

The SITI Summer Intensive began on a Sunday evening. The air in the JBK was filled with hunger, curiosity and nerves of course. We were all met for the first time. As we went around the circle and introduced ourselves by name, practice/discipline and point of origin, it was clear that I was going to spend the next month was an incredibly passionate group of artists from around the world. As the weeks progressed, the nerves came and went, but the hunger and curiosity only intensified as we dove deeper and deeper into our training. This training is not for the faint-of-heart: 90 minutes of Suzuki training, followed by 90 minutes of Viewpoints. Lunch was followed by two 90 minute classes of either movement, Speaking (with a sword no less!), dramaturgy and composition. Dinner and then rehearsal for 2 to 3 hours. The level of fatigue and exhaustion high – but what was astounding was that everyone pushed through; teaching us that that our personal limits are much further than we think.

The Importance of Rigour

Suzuki is a physical form of training that is as intense as you desire it to be, but you stand to gain the most by pushing yourself well beyond your perceived maximum. And then hiding it. Rigour is explicitly folded into the Suzuki training. Similar to classical ballet, we chase forms that are impossible to make with our bodies.

The Suzuki training is directly related to our work on the stage. Suzuki provides a perfect, unattainable, form. The performer's job is to strive for perfection in the form; to butt up against the form; which of course leads to failure. But it is within the attempt and this failure that we learn.

The attempt requires a razor-like focus and conscientiousness. Moving with this kind of meticulousness sharpened my awareness and knowledge of my instrument – my body. Though the standard or form is perfect and unchanging – throughout the course we were asked to look for the specific challenges facing our personal instrument, to chart our own journey and develop our own language to face our personal obstacles. Each improvement creating new challenges that inform us about our instrument.

There is also something incredibly beautiful to me around sharing of obstacles, language and thought. Within the pedagogy of the Suzuki at SITI, students are repeatedly asked to watch each other. But it even goes a step further – to share what you saw (the good, the bad and the downright ugly) with each other. At times this was by watching with our eyes, sometimes it was by placing our hands on each other and once, literally carrying each other while executing the form. By forcing us to not only “watch” but share what we “saw” with each other, we were able to deepen our understanding of the form. We began to find the language to articulate our findings. It also made the pursuit less of a downer: It was less about continually failing and more about finding joy in the pursuit of perfection especially since perfection is an unattainable destination. A huge paradigm shift.

What became clearer and clearer to me as well was the implicit need for that same rigour in Viewpoints class. Can I really forget about the idea of being interesting and be honestly curious? Can I truly be in a state of working, and not performing, when I am up in front of my peers? Can I continue that state of work (and not think about what I just did or will do) when I am watching? Can I follow my own bliss and lead at times... Do I even know what that is?

These are questions that I will continue to ask of myself your years to come, perhaps and most likely forever.

The teacher and the student

Another moment of beauty is that core SITI company members not only teach or lead all of the classes, but they also take all of the classes with us. Not only does this show us their dedication to training, but it also allows us to watch them work. And while this is inspiring, gorgeous and jaw-droppingly awe making, it also means that we get to watch them make mistakes. This was incredible. What are mistakes? How do these incredible performers navigate mistakes?

Well, in Viewpoints, there are no mistakes. There is only information. If we are noticing, open and less wrapped in our personal psychology, this information leads us to discoveries (and not judgements) about our physical and vocal tendencies and the text we are studying. We need these discoveries. Once we are aware of our tendencies we can choose whether or not to continue to work in our habits, or to work on carving out new patterns.

In Suzuki, while watching each other and sharing what we saw, we were learning to objectively articulate the needs of the form. When we were working with others and watching others, we the students, were learning how to teach ourselves. The instructors at SITI would remind us that, in others, we are all more likely to see the same challenges that we have ourselves. The major difference is in the articulation or the language we use. We are much kinder in our articulation to others than we would be to ourselves. By practising with others, we were shifting our self-talk to be more objective and on a basic, human level, kinder.

Constructive Collaboration

Oh Composition class, How did I hate thee? In 6 days or less create a 12 minute piece of theatre, following a laundry list of criteria. Create this piece of theatre outside of your 8 hours of class time with people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, that you have never worked with or even met before… and GO!

The level of stress was unbelievable, but really, welcome to the world of theatre. From a performance perspective, Composition Class gave us the opportunity to practise the mindsets and awareness that we were developing in Suzuki and Viewpoints in real time. From a creation point of view (most) theatre is created on the most ridiculously small budgets, in less time than necessary with people that you have shared limited time creating with. And the play/text has needs too!

Composition Class was a concrete lesson in constructive collaboration. In team environments, there are four stages that a new team goes through: forming, storming, norming and performing. For creative processes, we stand to benefit from norming the storming stage. As a team, having the ability to supportively encourage and challenge each other’s ideas allow a kernel of an idea to blossom into practicality if not excellence.

I would like to extend a huge thank you to Why Not Theatre, Theatre Ontario, SDA Enterprises, and artsVest Toronto for the International Creators Scholarship. I am irrevocably changed by my time at SITI’s Summer Intensive. Filled with a curiosity that I haven’t experienced in years and full of questions, I return to the Toronto theatre scene with a language by which to speak about the work and an approach by which to bring my best instrument to the table.

Wednesday, 29 July 2015

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

Last call! Actors, directors, playwrights of all skill levels—experience a week away from all distractions and immerse yourself in a unique theatrical learning experience. You will learn new skills, meet passionate theatre people, enrich your theatre capacity, and flex your creative muscle! Join us at our Summer Theatre Intensive, August 9 to 15 in Waterloo. Spaces are still available for registration until July 31.

Tuesday, 28 July 2015

Do you need financial support for professional development or a "change of direction" in your career? We are now inviting applications for the October 1, 2015 deadline for Theatre Ontario’s Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP).

The Professional Theatre Training Program offers financial support for unique and flexible training with a chosen mentor in any non-performance theatrical discipline. One can apply for professional development in his/her own discipline, or a "change of direction" in a career.

Please note that there have been a few key enhancements to the program guidelines:

Theatre Ontario will be following the Ontario Arts Council’s definition of a professional artist, as someone who “has developed skills through training or practice, is recognized by artists working in the same artistic tradition, has a history of public presentation or publication, seeks payment for her or his work and actively practices his or her art.” This means that applicants no longer need to wait two years after graduating from a post-secondary or other training institution before applying for a PTTP grant, but should refer to this definition when gauging eligibility.

Training programs must be completed within twelve months of the grant being awarded.

Please contact Rebecca Ballarin, Professional Theatre and Education Manager with any questions, especially if you are a first time applicant.

I’ve been impressed with some of the more nuanced conversations emerging from the latest “cell phones in theatres” brouhaha. Among my favourites: Scott Walters writes on The Clyde Fitch Report about the history of theatre etiquette (“We’ve made the theatrical experience so fraught with the rules of etiquette that nobody wants to venture into a theatre”) with a call to “overcome the distraction of the age by being so compelling that people can't look away.”

Thursday, 23 July 2015

Theatre Ontario is pleased to unveil our new strategic plan that will provide direction for the next four years by establishing long range objectives for the organization. This plan will provide information for our members, funders and Ontario’s theatre community, as well as guide our staff and volunteers in creating annual business plans, initiatives and budgets. It will also allow us to measure progress in meeting our objectives of serving theatre in Ontario.

I am also very pleased to announce two staffing changes. Brandon Moore will be taking on the role of Community Theatre and Communications Manager and Rebecca Ballarin will be assuming the role of Professional Theatre and Education Manager.

Please join me in wishing Brandon and Rebecca well in their new roles and don’t hesitate to reach out to them.

Wednesday, 22 July 2015

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

Actors, directors, playwrights of all skill levels—experience a week away from all distractions and immerse yourself in a unique theatrical learning experience. You will learn new skills, meet passionate theatre people, enrich your theatre capacity, and flex your creative muscle! Join us at our Summer Theatre Intensive, August 9 to 15 in Waterloo. Spaces are still available for registration until July 31.

Wednesday, 15 July 2015

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

Actors, directors, playwrights of all skill levels—experience a week away from all distractions and immerse yourself in a unique theatrical learning experience. You will learn new skills, meet passionate theatre people, enrich your theatre capacity, and flex your creative muscle! Join us at our Summer Theatre Intensive, August 9 to 15 in Waterloo. Spaces are still available for registration until July 31.

Playwright-in-Person with Vern Thiessen on August 10 in Waterloo: Vern reads from his works and participates in a Q&A in this free event open to the public (but of special interest to Summer Theatre Intensive students studying playwriting with Maja Ardal)

Tuesday, 14 July 2015

Our Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) offers financial support for unique and flexible training with a chosen mentor in any theatrical discipline (except performance.) These are a few of the current participants' experiences.

Emma Mackenzie Hillier is training in dramaturgy with Bob White at the Stratford Festival

Emma Mackenzie Hillier

“Stratford in the Summer”

My program with Dramaturg and Stratford’s Director of New Play Development, Bob White, took a bit of a hiatus between March and June… we were saving up my hours for the start of The Last Wife rehearsals, by Kate Hennig. Rehearsals began at the start of June and it’s already been a fantastic experience to simply sit and watch everyone at work. Some background for those who aren’t familiar: Playwright: Kate Hennig, Director: Alan Dilworth, Stage Manager: Melissa Rood, Assistant Stage Manager: Katherine Arcus, Lighting Designer: Kimberly Purtell, Set & Costume Designer: Yannick Larivee, Sound Designer: Alexander MacSween, Dramaturg: Bob White, Original Dramatug: Andy McKim, Cast: Maev Beaty, Joe Ziegler, Sara Farb, Gareth Potter, Bahia Watson, and making his Stratford Festival debut is young one Jonas Q.Gribble (who makes us all swoon daily with his sweetness and his sense of humour.)

It’s a rehearsal hall full of people brimming with talent and fine-tuned expertise in their crafts. On one hand I’m always amazed at a new play development process, and on the other hand I was surprised and delighted to find that this room is run similarly to many others in which I’ve sat. It’s open, respectful, has a set of unspoken rules that aren’t broken, and sensitive to the needs of all involved.

What is new to me in this instance is the time we’ve given to table-work; a luxury at other companies but the norm in this room because the time is available. And it’s necessary. Perhaps the one lesson I can take away from this stage in the process is that this amount of text work is vital… and it reminds me that in all my future endeavours, regardless of how little money is available, making the time for this type of textual analysis will make a better production. Part of my time at Stratford is reminding myself the best practises that are in place at these larger festivals and finding ways to institute similar devices into my own work as an independent theatre artist. Obviously this isn’t always possible, the companies with which I work don’t have the millions that Shaw or Stratford do. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t creative ways to incorporate those practises (e.g. voice and movement coaches, finding time for more table work, bringing the playwright in for that first in-depth analysis of the play.)

Working with Bob is always a delight. I’m a fairly straightforward person, I’m not one for talking around an idea as some of my peers are. That mode of artistic discussion and exploration actually made me feel like less of an artist for the first part of my career: while I desired a blunt approach to dissecting and understanding and the art some of my peers seemed more intent on discussing the philosophy behind it rather than the actual building blocks of a narrative, a production, an aesthetic, etc. As I developed as an artist and my career progressed I became more comfortable developing my own lexicon with which to discuss theatre. I had to; I didn’t understand the need to talk around an issue than discuss what was actually at stake. It’s been relieving and also exciting to work my mentor Bob White who exercises a similar approach to his work and to deepen the manner in which I approach mine. This has become an affirmation but also an opportunity to deepen my craft.

We’re still early into the rehearsal process of The Last Wife, only on week three right now, but already it’s evident that we’re developing a first production that is going to set an impossibly high bar. If you’re planning on visiting the little hamlet of Stratford this summer, I strongly encourage you to buy tickets for this show (and soon, as I believe the bulk of the run is already sold out!)

Catherine Ballachey is training in dramaturgy with Laurie Steven at Odyssey Theatre in Ottawa

At this point, I have been involved with Odyssey Theatre as their Dramaturgy Intern since early May. I started by meeting with Artistic Director, Laurie Stevens, to discuss the scripts for this year’s production, The Things We Do for Love. The production is a combination of three Spanish one-act plays which all share the theme of the passionate, and sometimes frantic, pursuit of love. The first two scripts - an adaptation of Chapter 25 of the classic Spanish novel, Don Quixote and an updated version of Garcia Lorca’s The Love of Don Perlimpin and Belisa in the Garden - were both written by Laurie Stevens herself. The third script is a new translation of Tirso de Molina’s Whether You Like It or Not (La Mujer Por Fuerza) by José Marìa Ruano de la Haza. Although Odyssey Theatre usually focuses on the Italian tradition of commedia del’arte and mask work, this is their first foray into the world of Spanish comedia. I read all three scripts and provided Laurie with dramaturgical notes with a focus on clarifying the text to bridge the gap between the word and physicality.

Catherine Ballachey in
rehearsal at Odyssey
Theatre in Ottawa.

In mid-May, we began a week-long workshop. It was an effective way to assess the state of the scripts and begin brainstorming ideas for staging and design. I assisted in every way that I could during the workshop in order to earn my position as observer. I felt that it might be strange for the workshop participants to have a silent observer constantly and carefully making notes for the entirety of the workshop. Fortunately, I was immediately proved wrong. Laurie encouraged me to speak up and share my ideas with the cast and designers. Although I felt tentative at first, I gradually warmed up to the idea and felt that I was able to contribute some dramaturgical insight to the process. I also sent Laurie notes every night and met with her regularly during the week to discuss my observations and the progress of the workshop. In short, although I was originally concerned that the cast would be apprehensive about a dramaturg observing their work, I felt I was welcomed into the group.

After the workshop, I was in regular contact with Laurie as the scripts and design progressed. Unfortunately, a public school workshop that I was to assist with was cancelled due to the work to rule action by Ontario teachers. I instead focused on researching New Play Development programs within the country in order to brainstorm ideas for Odyssey Theatre’s program that I will help implement in August. I also researched the historical context of the scripts and wrote the program notes for the production. After approximately a month of design and script development, I attended the first day of rehearsals with the cast.

Not surprisingly, the open and generous spirit from the workshop carried through to rehearsals. On the first day, the cast continued to be excited about working with these new scripts. They offered ideas about to develop the scripts even further, and I felt encouraged to do the same. Now that we’re halfway through the rehearsal process, that spirit hasn’t waned. Although I’m drifting in and out of rehearsals to maintain a bit of distance for dramaturgical insight, my notes and ideas are often welcomed in rehearsal. In short, I’m looking forward to seeing how the production develops over the next two weeks until opening night. I’ll continue to attend rehearsals and watch runs in order to provide dramaturgical notes under the guidance of Laurie. Once the production is up and running, I’ll begin the New Play Creation program stage of my internship. I’m looking forward to developing strategies for reaching out to playwrights and build connections with the creative community here in Ottawa.

Jasmine Chen is training in outreach with Marjorie Chan at Cahoots Theatre in Toronto

Jasmine Chen

I’ve been thinking a lot about why we do outreach. I recently sat down with my mentor Marjorie Chan, who has been creating and leading outreach programs for over a decade. We discussed the merits of outreach and why it is essential. Perhaps every theatre is different, but what we arrived at is this: outreach is not about audience building, outreach is about empowerment. Marjorie stated that her belief is that every person has the right to self-expression. By giving access to the arts, we hope that each individual may be able to find their own voice and have the ability to tell their own story. As I wrote about in my last post, Cahoots Theatre’s mandate is about providing a platform for marginalized voices. Crossing Gibraltar, their outreach program reflects this through their personal work with participants.

So let’s get down to the nuts and bolts of WHO, WHERE, WHEN, HOW. What is special about Crossing Gibraltar is that from year to year the program can be radically different. What Cahoots does is pair their program with the current production in their season. Last season with The Wanderers, playwright Kawa Ada asked that the program be offered to newcomer women of colour. Next season with Ultrasound, a play written by a hard-of-hearing playwright, the program will be geared towards newcomer deaf/HOH emerging artists. By choosing a specific group of people, one needs to think carefully about their needs. What this means is a fair bit of research to see what arts access programs are currently available and what is there a lack of? Who are potential participants and what kind of exposure to the arts have they already had? What resources do we have that can provide an exciting opportunity to grow? In the past, most programs have been held outside the Theatre’s studio to provide easier access and convenience to our participants. For our next program, since the resource we are providing is our own tech equipment, we are inviting participants to work inside our professional set-up. Of course, timing is everything. It’s no good running a program if no one is available to attend. I think that outreach is about eliminating as many barriers as you can. If it means running the programs on Saturday afternoons and providing TTC fare, than that’s what is required. But who pays for that TTC fare and the cost of the program? That’s where things get a little more difficult.

Thankfully, there are many granting programs that seek to engage different communities. However, there are limited funds to go around. What I’ve learned in applying for grants is: dream big. Don’t let the fear of not getting the grant hinder you from applying for what you really want. As Marjorie says, “We’ll find a way to do it, no matter what.” Even if you don’t get the full amount you applied for, with creativity and resourcefulness you’ll find a way to serve the people you want to serve. If a four-day workshop turns into a one-day workshop, you will make that one-day workshop everything it can be.

Outreach is more than just good intentions and opening doors, it is work. It is work that requires active listening, humility and perseverance. But with all that comes the connection that is built between people, an empathic bridge that leads to greater understanding. By giving a platform to other people’s voices, we can continue to create inclusivity and bring disparate communities together.

The next application deadline for the Professional Theatre Training Program is October 1, 2015.

Friday, 10 July 2015

Welcome to Katy James, who joins us as our Education Assistant for the summer. Katy is a recent graduate of McGill and Humber, and will be assisting Rebecca Ballarin in preparation of materials for our Summer Theatre Intensive, and providing administrative support for Theatre Ontario. This is a Summer Experience Program funded by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Welcome Katy!

Conversation Starters

Henri Canino and Megan Hadley in The Clean House.Presented by Theatre Sarnia at Festival 2015.

Thursday, 9 July 2015

The Youth Advisory Committee of Theatre Ontario hosted a social at Factory Theatre in Toronto on Friday, June 19 at 7pm.

The event ("What Bit You?") was an inclusive environment for youth to meet their peers, socialize, and bond over a shared appreciation of what life in theatre has to offer. Discussion topics such as youth barriers to access and artistic collaboration formed the backbone of the discussion where individuals shared their passions, ideas, concerns, and insecurities.

The evening brought together youth from disparate communities across the GTA—and beyond—who otherwise would not know one another. This addressed the YAC’s core focus of engaging young people with the resources to build a network of culturally-diverse theatre creators and audiences.

Members of the Youth Advisory
Committee setting-up prior to the event

The topics discussed during the evening included the difficulties of self-producing, barriers to minorities and marginalized groups, how to prevent losing steam after finishing school, and competition between organisations for funding and attention. The advantages of pursuing work in smaller markets, and in different fields of interests was also discussed, as well as the significance of being goal-driven versus value-driven. The discussion also highlighted the distinction of pursuing theatre as an interest, and not necessarily a career, and how that distinction changes outside of Toronto and other dense theatre markets.

An important consensus that came out of the discussion was the need for theatre to represent the community in which it is produced—something that is perceived to be sorely lacking. If we as theatre practitioners are dedicated to diversity, then we owe it to ourselves to nurture an industry and community in which under-represented groups are given an equitable platform to have their diversity represented.

Youth Advisory Committee member
Luke Reece opened the event
with a spoken-word performance.

In addition, this event served as a sort of focus group for planned upcoming projects in which the YAC seeks to increase the service resources available to youth in the province wishing to become involved in theatre. The YAC’s youth programs survey was made available to fill out on location, and will continue to be shared as the gathering of that data is an ongoing project for the YAC this year. That data, along with the topics discussed during the evening will help to inform the YAC and Theatre Ontario in planning upcoming initiatives.

Our participants represented a mix of ethnic, socio-cultural, geographic, and professional and educational backgrounds. The diversity of such viewpoints was seen as central to a healthy discussion and we were pleased to have such a varied set of voices. Our dozen participants ranged in age from 16-26, with a 50/50 split in male/female participation. They ranged from late high school to post-post-secondary and working in the industry. Most of our participants hailed from the GTA, but we had viewpoints representing experiences across the country, from Vancouver, to Winnipeg, to Montreal.

Wednesday, 8 July 2015

Last Call! The APT (Artist Producer Training) Program presented by STAF in partnership with Theatre Ontario will train a new generation of artist/producers in independent theatre. The goal of the APT Program is to train a new generation of artist/producers of independent theatre. Successful applicants will receive comprehensive, innovative, hands-on training with top industry professionals as they create and implement strategies and projects. The deadline to apply is July 13. Check out the STAF video below.

Actors, directors, playwrights of all skill levels—experience a week away from all distractions and immerse yourself in a unique theatrical learning experience. You will learn new skills, meet passionate theatre people, enrich your theatre capacity, and flex your creative muscle! Join us at our Summer Theatre Intensive, August 9 to 15 in Waterloo. Spaces are still available for registration until July 31.

Playwright-in-Person with Vern Thiessen on August 10 in Waterloo: Vern reads from his works and participates in a Q&A in this free event open to the public (but of special interest to Summer Theatre Intensive students studying playwriting with Maja Ardal)

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

Deadline to apply to the Crow’s Theatre RBC Rising Star Emerging Director program (paid residency to support the development of a “central project”) is July 13.

Shadowpath Theatre’s free “drama games and improv” training program for seniors in Vaughan starts July 14, “family history and storytelling” for seniors starts July 16.

New on The Bulletin Board

The World Festival of Children’s Theatre is coming to Stratford in 2016. Submissions for Festival presentations are open, with a deadline of August 1.

Tuesday, 7 July 2015

Theatre Ontario has been innovating new programs and training opportunities for theatre makers since 1971. We’re here to help you start strong, navigate uncharted territory, master new challenges, and continually grow and adapt. We connect you with the right people, training and resources to help you thrive at every stage of your theatre journey.

We are currently gearing up for our fall workshops! If you want to upgrade your skills, get the inside scoop on how to succeed, and learn how to navigate the theatre world, these workshops are for you! Take a sneak peek at some of our course offerings for 2015-2016, and start thinking about how Theatre Ontario can help take you to the next level.

Calling all actors! Our Career Stream includes several workshops designed just for you! From launching your career to understanding unions to rocking your next audition to kicking your stage fright, and even how to manage your finances – we have workshops to get you started and help you through all the rough patches so you can focus on what you do best!

Calling all producers! Ready to take the next step and finally turn that great idea into a show? Then our Creator Stream is for you! Here you’ll find workshops for anyone looking to produce their own work. Get the basics of self-producing in “Unleashing Your Inner Entrepreneur”, learn how to fund your show with our grant writing webinar, and explore other key skills like project management and proposal writing. We’re also offering an exciting workshop on producing site-specific theatre!

Busy schedule? Nowhere near the GTA? We’ve got you covered! In addition to scheduling our workshops on evenings, weekends, and Mondays/dark days, we also offer flexible online webinars. And if you want to save money while you pursue your theatrical goals, we offer substantial discounts on workshops for Theatre Ontario members. Our members find that the membership fee pays for itself after a minimum of two workshops (depending on membership type and workshop cost).

The Career Stream

For those who want to harness the tools & resources needed to thrive in the profession

Launching Your Career – Intro to the business of acting

Reciprocal Agreements with CAEA and ACTRA

Audition Talkback

Act Bravely: Psychological strategies to conquer stage fright

“Make it Happen” Bootcamp: Take control of your career. (These courses may be taken individually or altogether):

smART Money: Personal Financial Basics

Contract Law for Actors

Ask an Agent

Social Media as a professional tool

The Creator Stream

For anyone looking to produce their own work or start their own theatre company

Unleashing Your Inner Entrepreneur – The basics of self-producing

Site-Specific Theatre

Grant Writing Information Session – The inside scoop from the OAC

Promoting Theatre on Social Media

“FREE MONEY” Bootcamp: Fund your art by finding money in unexpected places. (These courses may be taken individually or altogether):

Project management

smART Money: Project Financial Basics

Put the ‘Fun’ in Fundraising!

Proposal writing

NEW: Dialogues Series

Dialogues on: Equity in Theatre

Dialogues on: Diversity in Theatre

This year we will be running two panel/roundtable discussions in our new “Dialogues” series. They will feature in-depth, thought-provoking discussion on current obstacles to equity and diversity and how to overcome them.

Monday, 6 July 2015

In South Central Ontario
Jul. 9, Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl at The Rose Theatre (Brampton)

In Southwestern Ontario
Jul. 9, Old Wives' Tale at Port Stanley Festival Theatre, with previews from Jul. 8
Jul. 11, The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism With a Key to the Scriptures at Shaw Festival (Niagara-on-the-Lake), in previews*

In Central Ontario
Jul. 7, As You Like It at Theatre By The Bay (Barrie)
Jul. 9, On Golden Pond at Orillia Opera House*

Thursday, 2 July 2015

In early-June, we checked-in with three Professional Theatre Training Program projects.

Alysse Rich is training in dramaturgy with Brian Quirt at Nightswimming in Toronto

Nightswimming's Why We Are Here! a pop-up choral eventPhoto by Erin Brubacher

While I have only been working with Brian Quirt at Nightswimming for four weeks, I feel like I have learned enough for a year (or more)! This PTTP internship started off with a bang: my first week at Nightswimming included the final production meeting for Why We Are Here!(WWAH!), the pop-up choral event which is one of the main pieces I have been supporting during my internship. The first WWAH! performance took place the following week at the Aga Khan Museum, and since then, we have also held this event at Videofag in Kensington Market, Allan Gardens, and Fort York.

While part of my work at Nightswimming includes reading and commenting on scripts, working on the WWAH! event has exposed me to many aspects of dramaturgy that are entirely new to me. I have been able to observe and support Brian and the team not only in the planning of this event, but I have also experienced how he works with the choral leader and resident artist during the shows to support their experiments and to help to push them further. Audience members walk away from WWAH! feeling elated and transformed because of the singing community that grows out of each performance, and I have been so honoured to be a part of the dramaturgical team that makes that happen.

In the past few weeks, I have also participated in a six-day post-production workshop of Anita Majumdar’s Same Same But Different. This was a fascinating experience for me, as I became part of a team that has been working together on this play for many years. A highlight of this process for me was witnessing how Brian helped to shape the workshop, and how he worked with Anita to set the dramaturgical priorities – both the overall priorities for the workshop, as well as the goals for each day. I was fascinated by this process, and was able to contribute useful feedback from my position as an “outside eye” on the new version of the text.

Last but not least, I attended a day and a half of the PACT (Professional Association of Canadian Theatres) Conference with the Nightswimming team. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this experience, as I am more accustomed to attending academic conferences. I was extremely impressed by the level of honesty, intellectual rigour, and openness of the community. I had a wonderful time meeting theatre leaders from across the country, and participating in interesting discussions about equity, diversity, and new models of audience engagement.

Despite the number of events and processes I have participated in so far, I still can’t believe that I am already halfway through this internship. I am very grateful to Brian and Rupal for inviting me to participate in all of these projects, and to Theatre Ontario for supporting this internship, which will no doubt shape the ways in which I approach dramaturgy in the future.

Rose Napoli is training in producing with Rona Waddington and Ingrid Bjornson at St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival in Prescott

Rose Napoli

It has been a very busy couple of weeks! At the moment I write this while facing suitcases and clothes strewn around my apartment. I am travelling to Prescott on Monday morning and am really looking forward to being in the office on a daily basis.

I have been working on a number of initiatives for SLSF. In the last week, we have launched the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival Slogan Slam, a social media campaign/contest for a new slogan. After ten days of submissions, Rona, Ingrid and I chose our winner over a Skype meeting .

I have also been preparing an extensive media list for the festival branching out into Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa, Kingston, Brockville, and surrounding areas. Rona and I will be working on media packages and pitches for each of the media contacts we’ve assembled.

I’ve also been learning quite a bit about editing! I organized an informal photo shoot for the shows with a few of the actors and have been editing the art work for our website and social media outlets.

Speaking of website, I’ve had meetings with a web designer and begun familiarizing myself with the web programming SLSF currently has in place. I have also been working away at updating the website, slowly making the aesthetic more current, and streamlining the web presence.

OH MY GOD. So much work!

I will be really happy once I’m in Prescott as my focus can be solely on the festival!

Neil Silcox is training in directing with Matjash Mrozewski at Canadian Stage in Toronto

Summer weather in Toronto is pretty fickle, the alternating cold downpours and sunny heat are going to make rehearsals for Comedy of Errors for Canadian Stage’s Shakespeare in High Park pretty interesting as we move from our Berkeley Street rehearsal hall (where we’ve spent the last four weeks) and move outside.

We’re halfway through our rehearsal process now, and just a month away from opening night. The last five or six weeks have been incredibly busy. Our director (and my mentor) Matjash is interested in delving far beneath the surface of this piece, and as a result I’ve clocked a lot of library hours researching geopolitics, period movement, gender roles, and countless other things. Italy in the late 19th century wasn’t something I came into this project knowing anything about, and it’s been fascinating.

I’ve also been working with Mat to collect and organize images, music, and video which will help the cast to access the world we are trying to create with Comedy of Errors. Stitching together paintings by Sargent and Boldini, music by Vivaldi, and clips from movies depicting the period, the city, or life at sea.

Because Mat comes from such an extensive dance background, and has relatively little experience with text-based theatre, I thought that I’d be spending a lot of my energy offering thoughts on the text. But I underestimated Mat’s brilliant mind, which has such a depth and breadth of understanding about the text that only rarely do I feel like I need to offer anything. Where I do feel I’m contributing the most is with my expertise in the making of theatre. Mat turns to me with questions about how the rehearsal progress should progress, the handling of the delicate actor-director relationship, and questions about the nature of outdoor theatre. Again, here Mat is excelling, and could definitely succeed without my input, but he makes me feel every day that this input is invaluable to him

That being said, I am learning so much from watching him work. Mat has a very strong vision of what he wants, and he has allowed me to see how he develops ideas and works through them before bringing them to the rehearsal room. When we did landed in the Berkeley Street rehearsal hall Mat demonstrated a real delicacy in how he brings his vision into the room. He always finds room to incorporate ideas from our cast into the show in meaningful ways. And when he takes charge and moves forward with a decision of his own, he manages to do it in such an egoless, generous way that it never feels like he’s taking control, just that he’s found a really wonderful, interesting path to follow for a bit. And when he doesn’t know what path to take, or how to handle a situation, or what to say, Mat will readily admit it with an enviable confidence.

Matjash Mrozewski discussing the challenges ofworking outdoors on the first visit to High Park.

Mat has really gone out of his way to make me feel not like his subordinate, but like his peer, and this gets me excited for what the next steps of this project will be. As we move into the park, and all the elements we’ve been talking about in production meetings come into place, the process will get more and more complex. Adding on top of this the challenges that come with performing outdoors, late into the night, in Toronto’s busiest park I’m sure it will be exciting and challenging. I’m eager to find my place in all the hustle and bustle of bringing this show together.

I’ll probably need sunscreen, and a good rain jacket.

The next application deadline for the Professional Theatre Training Program is October 1, 2015.

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Serving Ontario's Theatre community since 1971, Theatre Ontario develops and supports theatre practitioners across the province, by providing resources, networking, training and advocacy. To access our services, become a member, or donate to support our work, visit the Theatre Ontario website